FAAN forecasts 9.7m passengers for MMIA by 2017

Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) George Uriesi has taken a look at the authority’s operations, predicting what they will look like in four years.

Passenger traffic, he said, would rise from over 9.7million and aircraft movement to over 1,138,639 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos in four years.

Cargo volume, he said, would rise from 170million kilogrammes to 188 million kilogrammes in 2017.

Uriesi said passenger traffic at the Lagos airport grew from 5,117,034 in 2008 to about 7,185,669 last year while aircraft movement increased from 84,198 to about 105, 334 during the same period.

The same trend, he said, was replicated in cargo. Freight rose from a total of 164 million kilogrammes to 170 million kilogrammes within the period.

Lagos airport, Uriesi said, was expected to be a hub as the on-going construction of transit in facilities would have come on stream within the next five years, adding that the number of the airlines are expected to increase as a result of improved infrastructure.

He called for a cordial relationship with stakeholders in a bid to foster industrial relationship.

“I am glad to say that in the years under review, we have maintained healthy relations with our stakeholders while fostering positive industrial relations in MMA. Nothing will give me greater joy than the sustenance of the existing cordial relations and industrial peace,” he said, adding that effort is being made to improve working condition for enhanced productivity.

Uriesi said the authority was yet to get the best because of several battles he had been fighting to liberate FAAN from the clutches of some selfish Nigerians who see the agency as a cash cow and want to milk it dry with different obnoxious concessions and agreements .

He said he was satisfied with the progress being made in some of the regions, lamenting that most of his energy is wasted on what he termed, “distractions’’.

“I don’t normally regret anything, but I do have one regret and that is that in my estimation, I am really able to give about 10 per cent of my capacity to FAAN and that is the truth,” he said, adding: “The remaining 90 per cent is distractions, and if I had the opportunity to give even 50 per cent of my capacity, a lot of things would have been different. I keep fighting to get more capacity allocated to FAAN. So, in general, whatever is happening is 10 per cent of my capacity; that is the truth,” he stressed.

The FAAN boss explained that the regional meeting of the airport managers has remained useful and has served as a source of feed back to him. ‘’I always feel happy when am being briefed by the Regional General Managers. I get feedback from the regional meetings. You will find out that this is very useful in the near future as we begin to realise the resources of the organisation and make it more better.’’

The Regional General Manager, South West, Edward Olarerin said the Southwest Region of the airport authority has continued to play a leading role among airport regions, especially in operations and revenue generation.

He said it is the resolve of the region to further consolidate its leading position.